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	Lynemouth Colliery	Index	Lynemouth Colliery

Location:	Lynemouth 16 miles [26 km] SSE of Alnwick
Map Ref:	(Sheet 81) NZ298905, 55° 12' 28" N, 1° 31' 54" W
Maps:	1924 map Ashington Coal Co. Ltd., shows the royalty and their collieries
	1951 map from the Guide to the Coalfields (Colliery Guardian)
Opened:	1927
Closed:	1994
Pits:	No. 1 Pit (downcast)
	No. 2 Pit (upcast)
Owners:	1927 - Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1947 - National Coal Board (N.C.B.)
	1986 - British Coal (name change)
Output:	1930 - Coal: Steam.
	1935 - Coal: Household, Steam.
	1947 - Coal: Household, Steam. (241,000 tons)
	1950 - Coal: Household, Steam.
	1955 - Coal: Household, Steam.
	1960 - Coal: Household, Steam.
	1965 - Coal: Household, Steam.
	1970 - Coal: Household, Steam.
	1975 - Coal: Gas, Household, Steam.
	1980 - Coal: Household, Steam.
Employment:	Year  Pit   Total  Below  Above 1930 8 4 4 1935 697 511 186 1940 760 580 180 1945 711 564 147 1947 760 580 180 1950 970 752 218 1955 1,596 1,205 391 1960 1,734 1,390 344 1965 1,689 1,411 278 1965 and (245 shared services) 1970 1,587 1,291 296 1970 inc. shared services 1975 1,823 1,609 214 1980 1,610 1,370 240
	NCB Employment Figures
	Colliery Management (prior to 1970)
Seams Worked:	1930 - High Main
	1935 - High Main, Yard
	1950 - Diamond, High Main, Main, Yard
	1955 - Diamond, High Main, Main, Yard
	1960 - Diamond, High Main, Main
	1965 - Diamond, High Main, Main
	1970 - High Main, Main
	1975 - High Main, Main, Yard
	1980 - Brass Thill, High Main, Main, Yard

Description

This is the youngest colliery in the neighbourhood, having commenced operations for the Ashington Coal Co. Ltd. in 1934. The shafts, which are situated comparatively near to the coast, are two in number, and both were sunk to the High Main seam level, which is 486 ft. from the surface. The downcast (No. 1) is 18 ft. in diameter and is used for coal-raising on two shifts per day, and the upcast, which has a diameter of 15 ft., is used for ventilation and emergency manriding only.

The seams being worked are the High Main, the Diamond, the Main, and the Yard. Each of these seams shows practically the same nature of roof and floor as throughout the two neighbouring collieries and the distance between the seams is also comparable. They are, of course, found at slightly greater depths at Lynemouth, the Yard seam, for example, being 660 ft. below the surface near to the shafts, as compared with some 300 ft. at Ellington.

Colliery Engineering Magazine

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None found.

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

						Barron, John, 17 Dec 1941, aged 22, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Bell, Robert Lorraine, 1948, killed by a fall of stone
						Benson, Robert, 06 Mar 1958, (accident: 16 Nov 1951), aged 42, killed by a fall of stone, his spine was fractured in the accident, he remained bedridden from that time
						Blackett, Frank Norman, 23 Aug 1963, aged 37, Locomotive Fireman, struck by wagons
						Brown, G. R., 1982
						Buller, F., 11 Nov 1972, aged 74, Retired, pneumoconiosis
						Carter, John, 24 Nov 1970, (accident: 12 Nov 1970), aged 44, Shuttle Car Driver, struck by girder
						Clark, John, 20 Sep 1963, aged 50, Composite, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Park Road Cemetery, Ashington
						Dewar, W. D., 14 Nov 1972, aged 64, Retired, pneumoconiosis
						Edwards, James, 07 Feb 1947, (accident: 29 Jan 1947), aged 56, Stoneman, struck by shot debris
						Fisher, Geoffrey, 07 Jul 1969, aged 28, Trainee Mining Engineer, caught in a chute, Buried: Holy Sepulchre Churchyard, Ashington
						Forrest, James, 07 Jun 1962, aged 48, Rollywayman, run over by mine cars
						Forster, R., 01 Jul 1968, aged 23, Underground Tractor Driver, trapped against belt
						Forster, Thomas R., 30 Oct 1943, (accident: 18 Oct 1943), aged 39, Drawer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: North Seaton Churchyard, Ashington
						Gibbin, G., 05 Jun 1956, (accident: Jun 1949), aged 74, Underground Datal Worker, pneumoconiosis
						Hindhaugh, William James Hector, 23 Feb 1946, (accident: 20 Feb 1946), aged 38, Coal Cutter, killed by a fall of stone
						Hird, Ralph, 21 Jan 1938, struck by girder
						Hogg, Robert, 18 Jun 1969, aged 49, Machine Man, caught by machine
						Johnson, Matthew, 25 Jan 1950, aged 38, Filler, caught by cutting picks
						Keers, P., 25 Jan 1960, (accident: 1957), aged 70, Underground Datal Worker, pneumoconiosis
						Kidd, Arthur, 12 Apr 1940, (accident: 13 Feb 1940), aged 56, Examining Overman, crushed by machinery
						Ledgerwood, George, 20 Jan 1938, (accident: 13 Jan 1938), aged 38, killed by a fall of stone. address: 12 Storey Crescent, Newbiggin
						Mathewes, Thomas, 10 Jun 1977, aged 52, Salvage Worker, killed by a fall of stone
						McAndrews, Peter, 25 Jun 1935, aged 56, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone
						Nixon, Thomas Rutherford, 07 Nov 1932, aged 38, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Orr, John J., 29 Mar 1950, (accident: 28 Mar 1950), aged 33, Coal Cutter, caught by cutting picks
						Page, Lionel, 11 Oct 1975, (accident: 31 Oct 1956), aged 54, Miner
						Pollard, Thomas, 23 Mar 1950, aged 47, Deputy, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Holy Sepulchre Churchyard, Ashington
						Rainbow, William, 25 Apr 1960, (accident: 14 Apr 1954), aged 46, Power Loader, crushed by power loader
						Ruffle, Frederick J., 23 Apr 1960, (accident: 22 Apr 1960), aged 50, Composite, crushed by tubs
						Staines, Daniel, 20 Apr 1970, aged 50, Power Loader, struck by chain
						Tate, William McGowan, 08 Nov 1974, aged 49, Power Loader, killed by a fall of coal
						Thornton, -, 1965, killed in an accident to do with a bunker and conveyor belt [approximate date]
						33 names found

If you know of any fatalities missing from the above list then please contact us with the details and we will add them to our database.

Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

Some of the details of mining fatalities on this web site have been kindly provided by The Woodhorn Colliery Museum and are marked with .

Some of the names of mining fatalities on this web site have been kindly provided by Ray Ditchburn from his research into fatalities in Northumberland and are marked with .

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Lynemouth Colliery

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Lynemouth Colliery

Gallery Images:

Credits

Sources:

Pictures:

Related Links:

	On this site
	Newspaper articles
	Article from Coal Magazine (May 1958) — "Young First-Aid Winners Scored Record Total"
	Article from Colliery Engineering (January 1934) — "New Coal Preparation Plant at Ashington"
	Pictures in the Gallery section of Lynemouth Colliery

Further Reading:

• Collieries of Northumberland (Volume 2), James T. Tuck, TUPS Ltd., ISBN 1-871518-12-1
• Ashington Coal Company - The Five Collieries by Mike Kirkup, 2000, Published by The People's History Ltd., ISBN 1-902527-62-3

Further Research:

  Research Notes for Lynemouth Colliery